A Saxon find
Richard Wheeler
A short piece about the discovery by the author and his young son of a silver Anglo-Saxon in their Chiswick garden. Following the advice of B&CLHS they submitted it for recording to the Portabe Antiquities Scheme where it was dated to 675-750 AD
Marc-Antoine de Crozat de la Bastide and his circle
Penny Ewles-Bergeron
A French Protestant diplomat came to live in Little Sutton House in 1698 where he stayed until he died in 1704 and was buried at St Nicholas’ Church. He was part of a remarkable and distinguished circle which included Sit John Chardin, The Earl and Countess of Fauconberg and Russell family. The author has use French and Engish sources to tell the story of his life here.
Some of St Lawrence’s graveyard secrets revealed
David Shailes and Jim Storrar
The authors have spent some years watching closely the impact of the redevelopment of Brentford by Ballymore, liaising with Brentford Voice, B&CLHS and Hounslow planning officers. They have fought for the preservation of local features and researched burials at St Lawrence’s Church, some of which have been moved elsewhere. Some accounts of local lives have been summarised here.
Boadicea and the steam wagon
Guy Arnall
The author’s research combines family history, engineering and sculpture, locating the activities, homes and businesses of Thornycroft family members in Chiswick. Thomas Thornycroft worked on his Boadicea sculpture in the garden of Walpole House, alongside his son, John Isaac, who was working on the prototype for his No 1 steam wagon. A little upstream the internationally important Thornycroft shipyard was established with a motor works in Hogarth Lane. The article includes some fine photos of the steam vehicles.
Brentford Ait – a Georgian resort
Jim Storrar
Brentford Ait is a long 4.6 acre uninhabited island in the Thames. This account of the economy of the island, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, begins with willow cultivation. In the 18th century a hotel known as the Three Swans, reached only by boat, was established there. This became a fashionable resort known for its fish suppers and eel pies. When it came to be seen as disreputable, residents of Kew campaigned for its closure and succeeded.
Chiswick High Road – a retail revelation
Wesley Henderson-Roe
The author’s father, William P Roe undertook a survey of retail businesses in Chiswick High Road in 1936. He became the office junior at Tyser Greenwood & Co, Estate Agents, Valuers & Auctioneers in 1934, aged 14! His interest in the firm’s work and his keen eye for drawing nurtured his desire to record the world around him in urban geographical terms. Wesley Roe’s study contrasts his father’s survey from 1936 with the retailers of 2020. While this article will not be uploaded here until Journal 30 has sold out, you can explore two schematic diagrams of shops in the High Road which summarise the author’s research: for 1936 and for 2020
Farewell Griffin Park
Brentford fan Mike Paterson (who designs the layout for our Journal) wrote this short account of the Club as it moved from its very old ground at Griffin Park to a new and substantial stadium beside Kew Bridge Station, worthy of its new status as a top-flight club.
Mike Paterson
